WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama ended long-running federal transfers of some combat-style gear to local law enforcement on Monday in an attempt to ease tensions between police and minority communities, saying equipment made for the battlefield should not be a tool of American criminal justice.

Grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and vehicles, firearms and ammunition of .50-caliber or higher will no longer be provided to state and local police agencies by the federal government under Obama’s order. Also covered is camouflage gear that are thought to make police appear unnecessarily militaristic.

“We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there’s an occupying force, as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them,” Obama said, nine months after an outcry over the use of riot gear and armored vehicles by police confronting protesters in Ferguson, Missouri.

“It can alienate and intimidate local residents and send the wrong message,” he said during a visit to Camden, New Jersey.

In the Bay Area, the anticipated effect of the new restrictions appears to be minimal. Several local police agencies, including Oakland and Palo Alto, as well as the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, do not participate in the Pentagon’s 1033 program that has been a primary supplier of military surplus to law enforcement.

The president’s order only affects acquisitions from the federal government; many police agencies, including most of the Bay Area, have taken to purchasing some of these items commercially, including big-ticket items like the armored vehicles that are regular sights at SWAT callouts and other high-risk situations.

With police under increased scrutiny over highly publicized deaths of black suspects nationwide, Obama also unveiled the final report of a task force he created to help build confidence between police and minority communities. And he issued a broader appeal for Americans to address racial disparities and the needs of poor communities before they erupt into disorder.

Obama is also placing a longer list of military equipment under tighter control, including wheeled armored vehicles such as Humvees, manned aircraft, drones, specialized firearms, explosives, battering rams and riot batons, helmets and shields. Starting in October, police will have to get approval from their city council, mayor or some other local governing body to obtain such equipment, provide a persuasive explanation of why it is needed and have more training and data collection on its use.

Most of what local agencies have acquired from the feds does not fall under the ban. Mountain View police reported having a set of base rifles — with the same specifications as those available to the rest of the force and civilians — and some wet-weather gear and backpacks. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office has a fast patrol boat, and the police department in Concord has an armored vehicle.

It is unclear whether any of the new restrictions will apply retroactively; the Obama administration said Monday it was exploring whether it would require the return of any items. Some agencies were already in the process of giving back equipment even before Monday’s announcement, like San Leandro police, with some M-14 rifles that haven’t been used.

San Jose police, which acquired spare gun parts and ancillary gear like an SLR camera and ballistic goggles, do have some camouflage pants and bags that technically could be affected by the ban. The agency made headlines last summer when it elected to return its 10-foot-tall, mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) troop transport in the spirit of avoiding a militaristic profile within the community.

Other agencies, including police in Antioch, Redwood City and South San Francisco, are keeping their federally donated MRAP vehicles, contending that the amount of protection they offer and their minimum half-million dollar price tag make them a win-win so long as departments are transparent with residents.

“This has been a hugely positive program for us,” Antioch Lt. Tony Morefield said. “With the armored vehicle we have, it would cost over a half-million dollars for our department and for the city. The money savings are critical, not to mention the way that a vehicle like that can come into play during a real critical incident involving tactical operations and high-risk situations.”

Programs that transfer surplus military-style equipment from the Pentagon and other federal agencies have been around for decades, but Congress increased spending to help departments acquire the gear in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.

San Francisco’s police chief apologized on Friday for raiding a freelance journalist’s home and office to find out who leaked a police report into the unexpected death of the city’s former public defender.

A leading mortgage settlement and title insurance company, First American Financial Corporation, left hundreds of millions of customer records accessible on the web, including personal information such as Social Security numbers, according to a report on a security blog Friday.

Marijuana is legal in California -- but the lofty goals of Prop. 64 remain only partially filled, deferring the dream of funding major new state-run social programs. Our analysis finds that some counties and cities show great success, though, in putting new funds to good use.